The Rivingtons, whose pedigree stretches back into the doo-wop era, secured a place in music history when their first 45 was a US top 50 hit in the summer of 1962, and the insistently catchy lyrics of 'Papa Oom Mow Mow' turned every listener into a sing-a-long bass voice. The group went on to capture the dance-craze market with 1963 hit 'The Bird Is the Word', and those two songs were merged as a medley in `Surfin' Bird' by The Trashmen later that year to reach the US top 10, later being used as incidental music in the war movie 'Full Metal Jacket'.